SC Accused Murderer: Ugliest Mug Shot Ever?

We’ve seen some ugly mug shots in our time but the one posted this week by the Lancaster County, S.C. Sheriff’s Office is one of the worst …

It belongs to 24-year-old David Adam Pate of Lancaster, S.C., who has been accused of murdering 33-year-old Rickey W. James (also of Lancaster) and then leaving James’ body to decompose in a wooded area.

James was murdered on October 16, but his body wasn’t found until earlier this month according to The Lancaster (S.C.) News. Pate was already incarcerated by the time the body was found, having been arrested a few days earlier on a disorderly conduct charge.

Seriously? That guy’s face is disorderly conduct …

It’s not immediately clear what the motive for the slaying may have been … but local law enforcement are obviously glad to get this guy off the streets of their small town.

“We suspected Pate almost immediately but had to wait on lab results to prove it,” Lancaster Sheriff Barry Faile told the News. “We are thankful he is in jail where he belongs,”